Publikationen

The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) offers a unique opportunity to prevent human rights violations and environmental damage in value chains of European companies and to finally give those affected a real chance to claim compensation. In February 2022, the EU Commission presented a proposal for a corresponding directive. It goes beyond the German Supply Chain Act in several respects. However, it also contains numerous loopholes, largely as a result of pressure from business lobby groups. In [...]

Angesichts der globalen Krisen und Konflikte rückt die Verwirklichung der Agenda 2030 und ihrer Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung (SDGs) in immer weitere Ferne. Die Vereinten Nationen wollen dem in den kommenden drei Jahren mit einem Bündel von Initiativen entgegenwirken. Im Zentrum werden eine Reihe von Gipfelkonferenzen stehen, bei denen sich die Regierungen mit verschiedenen Aspekten der gegenwärtigen Krisen und Schritten zu ihrer Überwindung befassen sollen.

Im September 2023 wird der zweite SDG-Gipfel der Vereinten Nationen eine Halbzeitbilanz der bisherigen Umsetzung [...]

Since 2014, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Coun­cil in Geneva has been negotiating an internationally binding agreement on business and human rights – also known as the UN Treaty. From October 24–28, 2022, the intergovernmental working group on a legally binding in­strument on transnational corporations and other busi­ness enterprises with respect to human rights (OEIGWG) met for the eighth time. The countries of the global South as well as the major industrialized nations were present at the meeting. New [...]

Sowohl der G7- als auch der G20-Prozess sind 2022 mit ambitionierten Programmen angetreten. Im Nachklang der COVID-19-Pandemie standen besonders gesundheitspolitische Themen wie Pandemieprävention und Impfstoffversorgung auf den Prioritätenlisten der deutschen G7-Präsidentschaft sowie der indonesischen G20-Präsidentschaft. Darüber hinaus waren der Kampf gegen den Klimawandel und die Förderung der Energiewende
prominent auf den Agenden. Besonders die indonesische Regierung war bemüht, Themen von Relevanz für den globalen Süden im Rahmen ihrer G20-Präsidentschaft voranzutreiben. Unter dem Motto „shared prosperity“ sollten Fortschritte bei der Reform [...]

By Alexa Sabatini, Julie Kim, Barbara Adams, and Karen Judd

The UN established the category of least developed countries (LDCs) in 1971, as many developing countries were navigating a path to development in the post-colonial period. The classification identified specific development challenges faced by these countries. As the UN ECOSOC Committee for Development Planning (renamed in 1998 Committee for Development Policy – CDP) acknowledged in 1971:

“[w]hile developing countries as a group face more or less the same general problems [...]

This GPW Round Up #3 highlights different perspectives on CSO engagement in UN processes.

By the GPW Team

In September 2022, heads of state and government spoke at the UN Headquarters on the theme “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”.

Secretary-General António Guterres’s message was clear: “Our world is in peril and paralyzed". He launched the High-level General Debate bluntly: “Our world is in big trouble. Divides are growing deeper. Inequalities are growing wider. Challenges are spreading farther.” He urged, “We need action across the board.”

“Let’s have no illusions. We are [...]

By Marina Durano

Recovery with care 
The pandemic lockdowns and limits to mobility taught painful lessons about the importance of care. First, the pandemic forced us to recognize the value of care workers as essential and that we are dependent on a broad spectrum of essential workers. Second, a significant share of deaths occurred in long-term care homes, exposing the vulnerabilities of a long-neglected sector. Third, parents with school-age children felt the stresses of holding down a job while working [...]

As Agenda 2030 passes its mid-way point, ambitious reforms will be required during its second phase if the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are still to be achieved. A lack of financial resources is one of the main reasons why their implementation has fallen so far behind. The UN’s latest Financing for Sustainable Development Report has identified the “financial divide”, i.e. the lack of access to funds at favourable interest rates for countries of the Global South, as a key problem [...]

By Antje Hipkins and Elena Marmo

Crucial to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda is SDG 17, “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”. Increasingly, discussions now take the form of multistakeholder partnerships and engagement with the business sector as a tool to mobilize finance for the SDGs or generate needed capacity - often to develop a pipeline of bankable projects. This partnership orientation has become a regular [...]